The Ebony Knights
by TranQuill
Summary: Let's face it,the Cullens love Bella, but she causes a lot of trouble. There's the whole thing with James, and then the Volturi start bothering them! So, the Cullens seek refuge away from home. The Toreador Sanctuary may or may not be what they wanted!
1. Introduction

((A/N: So what happens when you take Twilight vampires and stick them around World of Darkness vampires? Something like this, I suppose. I have tried to stay true to the nature of both, and I will gladly take any polite complaints. If something seems unusual to you, tell me...though it might be that way for a reason! Comments more loved than critiques for that reason. Lastly, no, I do not own Twilight, thank god.))

"This sucks." The blond-haired young man made a face as he pulled the motorcycle helmet from his head. In a rather unusual move, he proceeded to scratch at his ear absently with the back of one of his gloved hands.

"What an astounding conclusion, Steven." A petite young woman responded, closing the door of the car she had just left. Unlike his black, leathery attire, she was dressed more casually in a pair of jeans and a ruffled purple top. Her hair came down in neat, dark ringlets to her shoulders, and her style of movement was decidedly smoother and less agitated than the motorcyclist in question. She had a strange sort of beauty around her, in the darkness of her hair, depth of her eyes and warmth of her voice.

"No fighting, you two." As the young woman had, a second young man stepped out of a second car. His hair was shorter and darker than Steven's, and his features were more sharply drawn than the young woman. Moving to his side was the last of their group, another female, brown hair with honey streaks and the sharp features of her husband. That made four: two car drivers, two motorcyclists. That bit of organizing was the first of many problems, as the Cullens were too many to fit in a single car. It had been solved with a minor change of plans, but they knew that trickier problems would be well on the way. What to do with a bunch of people who did not sleep was one problem. Plus, how would they fare not being allowed to go out as they pleased? Those were issues to be dealt with later, though.

"C'mon, let's get this done so we can get home." The female motorcyclist said with a smile, and gestured up to the large house in front of them. It was the small female driver that went first, knocking lightly on the door. The family was undoubtedly waiting, after all, there was no need to be loud about it. It was out of formality that she was the one to knock, she was a rank or two above her comrades, but curiosity was what made her do it so happily. Heck, she's driving all the way out to this tiny little place to come pick up some people she's never met? Not only that, but of a species that was such a distant cousin to her own, she wasn't even sure they existed until now? You had better believe she was curious!

When a handsome blond man (who was at least a good foot taller than her) answered the door with a calm smile, she knew she was at the right place.

"Allo!" She said cheerfully, with a bright smile to match, "I assume you are Dr. Cullen, yes?" Extending a hand to him she added, "It is nice to meet you!" in the same friendly tone.

"Despite the circumstances, it is nice to meet you as well, Miss…?" The implied request for an introduction was waved aside with a bit of a laugh from the young woman; "I can introduce us all at once when you and your family are all ready, save some time."

A musician she was, through and through, and her musician's ears told her one thing immediately: he had one heck of a nice voice. He was also surprisingly calm, which she was thankful for. He gestured the quartet inside, holding the door until the last one, Steven, was through.

There was a tidy little pile of suitcases near the door, presumably for the family, and it was Steven who offered to go and load them into the cars. Without much of a thought on their parts, or even much of a look, both drivers tossed him their keys.

Near the suitcases there was the family that belonged to them, sitting calmly or milling about impatiently. No sooner had the young woman spotted the little human hiding away than was she spoken to.

"We were having some concerns for Bella's safety…" A woman with caramel hair drew her attention instead, away from the human girl, 'Bella'. But, instead of the female driver answering, the dark-haired young man did instead.

"Lady Lokisana has guaranteed your safety." He said with a smile. Dressed in plain black slacks and a dark red dress shirt, he looked pretty much at ease, " And that means all of you." He gave a bit of a shrug and continued, " This isn't the first time a human has been in the sanctuary, and I'm sure it won't be the last."

With that, he turned to the human girl directly, what little of her he could see. She was buried in a young man's shoulder, but he could see a sleepy eye looking up at him. "Don't be worried in the slightest, little madam. You'll be safe with these kind fellows and us." He nodded.

"We're a little weird-looking, I'll admit…" The woman motorcyclist spoke up," But really, we're harmless…" She giggled a little and looked down at her feet, as if the anecdote was unexpected to even her.

The caramel-haired woman did look a little reassured at that, though she hasn't looked that bothered in the first place. The young man that had Bella sleeping on him was about to speak up when the last of their quartet re-entered, announcing that he had "finally moved all of the suitcases, but not in any real order" because he didn't know "who the hell is going in what car or even who belong to what suitcase." His companions' reaction was a unanimous eye rolling.

A little pixie of a woman was the next to speak up, suggesting "Introductions?" with a cheeriness to rival even the strangers' female driver.

It was Dr. Cullen who introduced his family, and it was then that they learned his first name, Carlisle. Esmé was the woman with the caramel coloured hair, and his wife, while the friendly sprite was Alice. The human was Isabella (though Bella for short) and the man she was half-asleep on was Edward. Lastly, there was Jasper, a thoughtful-looking fellow. They were also told that there were two Cullens missing, Rosalie and Emmet.

"Are they not coming, then?" The female motorcyclist asked, looking a little concerned.

"No." Carlisle replied, "They are reluctant to go in to hiding, and of all of us, they are probably the safest to stay here."

After a moment of silence, Steven nudged the female driver sharply in the shoulder. She gave him a really confused look before figuring it out.

"Oh, yeah, us…" She laughed a little, embarrassed, "I'm Livicat Wolfsblood, but, Livi is what everyone calls me." She wanted to give just a little wave of greeting, but her informal side met with a problem. As she was so used to being around formalities, it clashed with the more formal act of bowing, and she ended up doing both at once.

"Larka Archaeon." The other woman said shyly, "And my husband, Mogui." The dark haired young man nodded friendlily enough.

With a shrug and a careless grin, the male motorcyclist went last with a simple, "I'm Steve, now let's get a move on and get back on the road!"

Larka shook her head as they turned to go, "You're only saying that because you want to show your driving off in front of our guests." She teased. Steve took it like a pro, grinning from ear to ear.

"If you were as good as me, wouldn't you want to, too?"

((A/N: So, passable? Not passable? There is a reason for the ridiculously unusual names, and they do actually get worse (For which I'll appologize in advance for, as I can't change them). Also, stuff happens, later. Like, y'know, plot stuff, of which there is very little in this chapter. Comment? Critique? Flames will be used for marshmellows!))


	2. Something About Vampire Drivers

((A/N: So, yeah, part two! It seems driving with, er, flair, is more than just a Cullen trait...))

The groups were divided easily enough. Carlisle, Edward and Bella went with Mogui, and Esmé, Alice and Jasper went with Livi.

"Two cars?" Alice asked. There was only six of them, so, they could have fit in one if they had to.

"Well, we couldn't really get a hold of one with enough seats that still went the speed we wanted…" Livi answered with a bit of an embarrassed smile. "Don't blame me, it's Mogui's fault. He's the one who came up with the idea of us taking two."

Grinning, Alice nodded, "Oh, okay. I'll blame him, then."

Livi started up the car, laughing, and adjusted her rear-view mirror. She needed to be sure she could see both Mogui and Larka in case of problems. Esmé took her seat on the passenger side since there were only two seats in the back, and when she clicked her seatbelt in to place Livi spoke up again.

"All ready to go?" She asked amiably. Alice answered her almost immediately. "Ready as ever!" and beside her, Jasper nodded. Apparently she was not the only one who wanted to get moving, as Steve ahead of them was motioning hurriedly. It seemed he was impatient, too.

When they finally did leave, it didn't take very long for their surroundings to change. Whether it was solely due to the speed that they seemed content to drive or due to their unusual route, it was only a short time before Bella was totally disoriented. Edward was comfortable to lean against, and the car was nice and warm, but she could not sleep. There was too much to think about. Not only about their safety, either. There was also the issue of Mogui and the others who had been sent to protect them. They did seem nice enough, but it was not enough to ease Bella's suspicions. If it had been such a big choice to call them, then there must be a reason for it, right?

"You should sleep." Edward said softly, deciding to speak up once she decided to move to look out the window. Bella smiled a little, "You know I can't." She said, and yawned, "Not right now, anyways…"

"I know." He replied, smiling back, "But I felt I should try."

In the seats ahead of them, Mogui and Carlisle were also talking, and despite Mogui's now-apparent shyness, they seemed to be getting along fairly well.

"You only joined recently, then?" Carlisle asked. He had managed to keep track of their whereabouts for far longer than Bella, but now even he had given up. It was probably for the best.

"Yes, when I married Larka. Her daughter from her previous marriage is there, and she is very close friends with Lady Lokisana, so she was intent on staying."

Carlisle nodded, "I hear she is quite charismatic, Lady Lokisana. It is no wonder that people follow her."

Mogui nodded, "She has quite the gift, with people of all kinds." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "I suppose it's a good thing that she does, for situations like this. It makes it so that there are people around to protect our guests." His shyness was not only due to having just met the doctor. It was against his experience to imply that another vampire, especially one older then him, was in need of protection. Carlisle took it gracefully, though, and just nodded.

It was probably Carlisle's reaction that prompted Mogui to keep talking. Had the other vampire shown some sort of insult at his comment, it was likely that he would not have spoken up again for the remainder of the drive.

"When we were told that we were supposed to come get you, I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect…" Mogui's dark eyes only left the road for a second to look over at Carlisle, before they returned to the task at hand. " Generally speaking, we don't hear much about your going-ons. Most of the time we don't even hear about the…er…." Mogui stumbled and flushed darkly, something that took Carlisle by surprise.

"All of that research and I forget their name _now_?" The driver groaned to himself, "I must look like such an idiot."

The doctor couldn't help but laugh a little bit, more at his dramatic reaction than his lack of information. Still, he had an idea what the name was that Mogui had lost.

"The Volturi?" Carlisle suggested kindly, and though he still looked discontent, Mogui nodded, "That'd be who meant, yes. By and large it's hard to find information that doesn't make you look like myths."

After a second he shook his head," And I, eh, mean that in the nicest way possible." When Mogui could hear Edward laughing at him from the back seat, though, he grinned, "Hey, it's not my fault. I'm trying!"

His grin faded just as quickly as it came up when he saw Larka give a signal through his mirrors. Running a hand through his dark hair, he sighed, "Trouble coming. But, don't worry, this kind of trouble has nothing to do with you guys."

Next to him, Mogui felt the doctor straighten as opposed to seeing it. "What do you mean?"

In the other car, Livi was busy chattering away the same explanation to Esmé, Alice, and Jasper, the latter of which finally seemed to have taken interest in their conversation. Up until then, the women had been contentedly talking away.

"Well, the area we're in now belongs to another coven. Really big, but, really, really disorganized." She shrugged, " So, naturally, some of their members are massive troublemakers and are likely to think that we're easy targets just because we happen to be driving by."

Jasper smiled self-assuredly, "Would they be wrong?"

When Livi saw the smile in her mirror, she grinned too, widely, and responded with a happy," Oh, yeah. The most bumpiness I expect us to feel in here is if we run someone over. If anyone decides to try, Steve and Larka will take care of them." She was about to continue when they heard the sound of more motorcycles. Instead, she sighed and then spoke up, "See? Trouble. Keep an eye on Larka and Steve, they'll show you why you called us."

There were three motorcycles behind the second car, Mogui's, so the view for them wasn't a great one. What they could make out was both Larka and Steve hitting their breaks, and forcing the other motorcyclists in front of them.

Steve pulled his helmet off, clipping it to a spot on the bike. It might not have been the smartest of all moves, but he could see better without it. Apparently Larka agreed, as he could see her doing the same out of the corner of his eye. Three shouldn't be a problem. Their bikes were a lot larger and louder than the two Steve and Larka had. It almost looked as though the machines were scrapped together, and they just might have been. They made an impressive entrance, though.

Steve was grinning despite the cold night air (or perhaps because of it), and held up two fingers to Larka. The woman shook her head, and held up two of her own. Pulling a face, Steve consented. If she really wanted, she could have the two. He'd be nice today. They were taking their time communicating, keeping pace behind the attackers. There was no need to rush, as they likely posed very little threat to the cars... Not to mention Livi and Mogui had just upped the gear, and the cars were pulling away.

Steve let her do what she wanted, and instead he forced his way past the two stragglers and on to the tail of the leader. He was a burly fellow, maybe not much taller than Steve, but quite a bit bigger otherwise. Loki wasn't going to like how Steve handled this, but she wasn't there… And even if she had been, he doubted he'd act any differently.

"Can you hear me up there, ugly?" He called, laughing. Perhaps not the most creative thing to yell, but it'd do. The man did the smart thing and checked in front of him for obstacles before looking behind. Still, when Steve pushed himself off of the seat of his bike mid-transformation, the man might have wished he hit something instead.

Landing fully transformed on the man's back Steve snapped at his bare neck, digging his teeth into the flesh and wrenching the attacker off the bike. He pushed off of the body before it landed, and hit the ground a little hard, but safe. The other three sped by them in a blur. The downed motorcyclist struggled to his feet with one hand on his neck, and Steve didn't waste more than a moment of a growl before lunging at the man's throat.

He didn't even have time to trot back over to his bike to see how it had fared in his theatrics before he heard the screaming and smelled the very distinct and unpleasant scent of burnt blood. Well, he knew how Larka did, then.

His padded feet trotted casually over to where his bike lay, and while it looked beaten up, he was pretty sure he didn't kill it. Maybe Loki wouldn't be mad. With her job done, Larka sped back to where Steve was. It took her a second to find him as his transformed state blended in so well with the night.

"Hehe, now you look the way you act, little brother!" She giggled. The wolf snorted at her, and a moment later it was a decidedly less hairy Steve standing his bike back up. Less hairy and missing something…

Hearing his 'sister' start to giggle again, Steve looked at her with an eyebrow raised, "What the hell are you laughing at now?"

Grinning, Larka pointed at him, and Steve looked himself once over to see what she found so funny. It took him only an instant to realize what it was. Without the fur, it made sense he'd feel a bit cooler, but now that he was lacking a shirt, he couldn't believe he didn't notice beforehand.

"God damn it!" he cursed, kicking the side of his bike in frustration, "Every other time I manage to do it fine, but the ONE time you're here to make fun of me, I fuck up. GREAT."

Pulling off her own jacket to reveal a soft blue sweater beneath, she tossed it to Steve, smiling. "That's what sisters are for."

((A/N: I bet you the Cullen's ain't seen that trick before! Steven, you animal, you!))


	3. The Sanctuary

Mogui seemed generally relaxed throughout the little conflict, nonchalantly shifting up a gear or two to leave it behind. Still, despite the careful exit, it wasn't fast enough to stop them from seeing Steven's transformation. Now, Mogui had no intention of hiding anything, but if he had known just how unusual it was to them he may have been tempted to try.

Bella had been startled enough to jump, and Edward's attention was on her in an instant. He took her hands in his, and in a few deep breaths she had relaxed. It was Carlisle who spoke, having watched not only the transformation, but also Bella's reaction.

"That is not something I am familiar with, a vampire shape shifting..." He said, not bothering to hide the suspicion that crept in to his voice and the questions it implied. Mogui looked a little confused at first, but after a moment or two of thought, he understood.

"Ah, yes, forgive me." He said hurriedly, " I didn't think about how strange that must be to you. Steve is Gangrel. Along with a few other tricks, Gangrel have the ability to shape shift in to not only wolves, but basically any other animal as well, provided it is a scavenger or predator. They call it Protean, but whenever anyone else manages to learn it, they only get two extra shapes, wolf and bat. We don't really know why."

"Gangrel…?" Bella asked, curiously, and Mogui nodded again.

"Your clans are family-based, yes? Ours are organized a little differently. There are a set number of them, and if a member of a certain clan turns a human, then that human becomes a member of the same clan, inheriting most of or all the traits that come with it. Gangrel are wilderness-dwellers, free spirits and wild creatures. Their gifts include certain communication with some animals, shape shifting, and a strange tendency to not be bothered by werewolves despite their rural ways." Mogui was pretty happy he had gotten through the explanation without screwing anything up or forgetting anything. It felt weird having to explain that to someone, though.

Bella looked happy with his explanation, and while Carlisle didn't look happy per se, he did not look unhappy or suspicious. It was only Edward who did not look more at ease with his explanation.

"More questions?" Mogui asked, smiling. Edward didn't bother with any preamble. "If Steven is a Gangrel, then are Livicat, Larka and yourself also Gangrel?"

Mogui shook his head, "Nope. I think there are only two Gangrels in Toreador at the moment. One is Steve and the other is my stepdaughter. Livi is a Toreador, the artist bloodline. Funny thing about them is, if you put them in front of something beautiful enough, they will stand still for days." Mogui grinned.

"They have their gifts, too. Things like more human sensibilities and whatnot. Larka and I are Tremere."

Before he could continue, Carlisle nodded. "Blood mages."

With a sigh, Mogui nodded too. "Yeah, that'd be us. You've heard of the Tremere?"

The doctor nodded a second time, "Yes, though, I cannot say that I believed it at first. Humans who took vampirism in to their own hands and created a bloodline all their own…Only to realize that it came with the same price as traditional vampirism."

"Yeah, that's how they say we started. I wouldn't put it past people. After all, humans made the atom bomb, among other things." He searched out Bella's eyes through his mirror, and when he found them, he quickly added, "Please don't be insulted, I'm not being entirely serious."

With a small smile, Bella nodded, "It's okay."

"Tremere? That would explain what Larka did, then." Edward said, thoughtfully. "Why she didn't have to get off her bike to fight."

Bella looked as though she was about to ask another question when Mogui pulled the car into a gravel driveway. At the end of the driveway, Toreador Sanctuary's many windows poured out light on to the dark landscape.

"Here we are." Noticing that he had cut Bella off, Mogui continued," Hold on to your question, there will be more time for them later, I promise."

They climbed out of the car, Bella the least energetically due to being tired and all. Mogui offered to carry her suitcase, more than once, but she politely refused and carried it herself. Beside them, Livi's car was also piling out.

The path up to the house was not a long one, and they could make out the shapes of plants in the gardens on either side with the help of the light that the giant of a house glowed on them. Every single window was lit, and Bella had to shield her eyes from the light.

Mogui jogged up the steps, but he didn't open the door. Rather, he stepped out of the way to allow Livi access, and she opened it. It was her house after all.

What met their eyes was more than a little shocking. Beyond the giant, dark wood door there was…a bare room. A bare, but clean, room with lights neatly rigged to the frosted windows. It was a very short room, and on the other side was another set of large double doors.

Mogui crossed the room carelessly, and it wasn't until Livi turned to close the door behind their guests that she realized they were confused.

"Ah, yes. What is this, you're wondering?" For the most part, nods met her statement.

"Fake room. It makes the house look normal on the outside so that it doesn't stand out too much. But, we can't have too many real windows in case someone gets careless." She laughed a little, "You have us beat there, if we go out in that, we're dust!"

"C'mon, the real house is through here." Excitedly now, she pushed open the second pair of doors, and that was when the real shock hit. An amalgamation of crimson red, shining gold, and royal blue. Fabric tapestries and a grand, dark wood staircase that curved lazily up to a second floor. Antique looking chairs upholstered in expensive, imported fabrics and lights of both traditional fire and electric. On the walls, art hung in ornate frames for all to see. Sparkling trinkets adorned tables to entice the eye, and the occasional book could be seen, waiting patiently on a table or chair.

"Welcome to my home!" Livi said laughing happily. For a Toreador, coming back to a place like this was a sort of euphoric high. Surrounded by beauty, her senses were content to drink it in.

"Our home." Mogui added, smiling and shaking his head, "This is a lot more impressive than that room, yeah?"

It was Alice who replied with a resounding, "Yes!"

"Mogui, could you go check on BK and Ember?" Livi asked him, "I want to make sure they've stayed out of trouble." He nodded with a simple, " No problem." before ducking out through a smaller wooden door.

"You can just drop your stuff there, we can move it later. Off to the side anywhere is fine." Livi shoved a comfortable-looking wing-backed chair out of the way to create more room to one side of the door, and the suitcases were soon piled as nicely there as they had been in the Cullen home.

"You still awake, there, little one?" Livi asked, nudging Bella's shoulder. The human girl was looking around the entryway in awe. It was a combination of old and new, but mostly old. The only new she was in the electric lights and in what looked to be a type of com system by the door.

"I'm awake, I'm awake…" She replied, pulling her eyes off of the room to look at Livi. With Mogui's explanations, Bella was feeling a little more at ease. Plus, there was something about Livi that was hard not to like.

"Good. You're about to meet the lady that runs this place, so you can't sleep through that." Livi winked before walking off in the direction of a different door than the one Mogui took, and the Cullens (plus Bella), followed.

The rest of the house followed the trend of the entryway. The floor was the same dark wood that seemed to be everywhere else, and the carpet was a floral print with dark colors and tassels on the sides. Instead of feeling oppressive, the colors seemed warm and welcoming. Whoever decorated must have known their stuff.

"I think she said she'd be in the library…hm…." Livi was talking to herself, but Edward answered anyways. "Have you lost her, then?" He asked, smiling.

"I don't think so…I hope I haven't…" She grinned and stopped before a door that was different from the rest. Not dark wood, but glass, "Ah, here we are, the library! She should just be in here."

Cheerfully ushering the group inside, Livi called out, "Mother! Our guests are here! That means you have to stop hiding." She added the last part laughing.

"I'm not hiding, darling, I'm reading. That's what a library is for." The smiling woman who answered her, seeming to float out from behind a tall bookcase, seemed unreal. Moon-white skin with only the lightest flush of color in the very top of her cheeks and long, straight white hair that flowed smoothly behind her. She was taller than Livi, but more frailly built, and she was clad in simple, flowing robes of the same color as her skin and hair; clean white. The only color of note was the faint touches in her cheeks and the clear violet of her eyes. Beauty was all a matter of opinion, but she was interesting to see at the very least. This, then, was Lokisana of Toreador.

"Hello, everyone." She said, softly, and while she did look at them all, her gaze soon came to rest solely on Carlisle and her smile grew a little stronger, "Hello, Doctor, it is nice to meet you at last." He was smiling as well, and when he held out a hand to her she shook it warmly with both of her own.

"You run the sanctuary by yourself now?" He asked, "The last that I heard you were taking care of this place with Lord Armand."

His question was innocent curiosity; he was not to be blamed for Lokisana's reaction. After all, with both groups having such little knowledge of one another, certain problems would have to be created. So, when Lokisana's eyes went wide and she crumpled to the floor no one was looking to point to him as the cause.

Her arms wrapped tightly around herself, Lokisana's eyes were tightly closed and she was speaking under her breath, whispering harsh nonsense and shaking her body with dry sobs. Shocked, Carlisle immediately crouched down to see what was wrong, but as soon as he laid a hand on her the other vampire flinched back violently.

"Oh, great…" Livi ran a hand through her dark-as-night curls with a sigh, before jogging over to the door and yanking it open. Thank goodness, there was someone around! If she had to run and look for help herself, she'd have to leave the Cullens alone. Alone and probably very confused.

"Anna, go find Tempo for me, and fast. Loki's having a fit." Livi called down the hall to the woman a few doors away. Anna knew better than to procrastinate on something like this and immediately sprinted off in search of the aforementioned vampire. The last time Lokisana had gone mad on her own, Toreador was nearly destroyed.

Closing the door again, Livi turned to the problem at hand, trying to explain all of this. "Don't worry, that's not your fault." She said reassured them, Carlisle in particular. Nodding to her mother she continued, "I should have warned you. Any mention of my father will generally get that reaction from her."

Esmé looked concerned, and when Livi looked to her, expecting her to speak, the woman did even though she hadn't been intending to. The question didn't sound very polite. "What is wrong with her?"

Livi was not one to be offended easily, at least about this, and it was plain as day that the question was asked out of concern. "Did Mogui explain to you anything about clans…?" She looked to Edward for an answer, as he was closest, and he nodded. Jasper, Esmé and Alice had been given a similar explanation by Livi, as they were similarly concerned at Steven's transformation.

"Okay, then. My mother, Lokisana, is a Malkavian. In being so she has access to some pretty interesting skills, but it comes with a very large price tag. She's totally crazy."

Immediately she regretted saying that. If her mother was crazy, then who was to say that the Cullens were safe with them? They were, but now she'd have to try and fix what she had said.

"She isn't normally, but sometimes some thing or another will set her off. When she's at least acting sane she's a very able coven leader." Livi grinned, "Despite being a little loony, she has a large record of accomplishments, so don't be too worried. Your safety has not been compromised."

She was going to continue when the doors were thrown open and the vampire Livi had sent for was at Lokisana's side. Without the speed of her vampyric friends, Bella didn't see their face, or the front of them in any way. So, as she watched the person with Lokisana, she had a bit of an issue. She could not tell their gender.

What she could tell was that they were bleeding. One of their hands was on Lokisana as they spoke, but the other was holding a neatly folded cloth to their neck. They were dressed almost comically old-fashioned: black boots, white stocking with those short black pants, a black vest and a white ruffled shirt. Or, it was white. A great deal of it was no longer. Their hair was fire engine red, and was cut so that one side was above their ear, and the other went down to their chin in a smooth curve.

When Loki spoke up after a few moments, it was loud enough for Bella to hear, "Oh, hello, Tempo. Did you see our guests?"

"Yes, my queen, I saw them." A hollow, empty-sounding woman's voice, or close to. Still, the shoulders were a little wider than most women…And why was she referring to Lokisana as queen? That didn't make much sense to any of those gathered. Livi was used to it, Tempo had called Lokisana that for as long as Livi had known either of them. Still, that's not to say she knew why.

"You're bleeding, dear. Let me take care of my business. Go and bandage yourself up." Tempo helped Lokisana to her feet, and when she turned, Bella saw that it was indeed a woman.

"This is my advisor, Tempo Vivace." Lokisana gestured to the woman, who bowed with her hand still on her neck. When she straightened, she did not raise her eyes to meet any of theirs; the bright blue eyes remained unfocused, and the expression on her scarred face was vacant. "Come back, won't you, when you are patched up?"

"Right away, my queen."

When Tempo passed Livi the dark-haired vampire grabbed her hand, smiling. Tempo squeezed the delicate fingers reassuringly and Livi giggled. "I'll bet you five dollars that was your last white shirt."

"I think you might be right, dear princess." And with that she was gone.

Seeming to collect herself, Lokisana have a short laugh, "I apologize, I do not know what came over me…Regardless, I am very glad to have you all here, and I can guarantee you the same protection that goes to every other member of this sanctuary." She motioned Livi over and the Toreador went to stand with her mother.

"You have already met Livi, Mogui , Steven and Larka, yes? I am Lokisana. Now, I'm very interested in hearing who you all are!"

She did sound interested, all trace of her fit gone completely. As Carlisle introduced his wife and each of his children, she shook their hand just as warmly as she had their father's.

Bella and Edward were last, the latter of the two not looking quite himself. It was noticed, but the general assumption was that they would have to ask after the introduction had been made.

"Ah, yes, you are welcome here, Bella. Do not worry, you are not the only person living in this old house." Lokisana's smile was honest, and Bella felt herself smiling in response.

"And my son, Edward."

Lokisana looked at him kindly, and spoke when she reached for his hand, "Are you alright? You look as though something is bothering you."

Edward shook his head and forced a smile, "No, it's nothing. It's very nice to meet you." And then Lokisana's hands touched his, and Edward was unconscious in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my lord I've killed him!" Lokisana said shocked, and stumbled backwards a few steps. "Oh, my goodness…" Her hands at her mouth, her violet eyes peered over them worriedly. Nearly unnoticed, Mogui entered the library, trying to piece together what happened.

"You haven't killed him." Carlisle said calmly, turning Edward over gently. "It doesn't seem as though there is anything physically wrong with him. Not anything I can tell from appearances, at least."

"Nothing physically wrong…" Mogui echoed. "Besides, if my information is right, in order to knock one of you unconscious it would take something incredibly strong physically and your having been turned should have rendered you immune to most anything like a poison, yes?" He looked to Carlisle, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Perhaps a mental issue, then…" The doctor suggested, "Edward is a telepath, so it is reasonable to believe that something could have overwhelmed him…"

Mogui's gaze met Livi's, and she sighed, "I know what happened." She said, "And no, mom, it's not your fault, but we do have to move him and you have to stay here. Come on, there is a better place for him than the floor." Two people falling on the floor in the same conversation… Livi hoped that it wasn't setting a trend for things to come.

Carlisle was the one who picked him up, Bella hovering nervously near him. Livi put a hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Don't be worried, Bella. Now that we figured out what it was, we can fix it. Pretty quick, too."

Bella didn't speak, but she did nod.

The Cullens followed Livi and Mogui as a group, obviously concerned for their unconscious member. A few doors down there was an empty room with a bed, and it was there that Carlisle put Edward.

"What is it that you think happened?" He asked the two vampires who leaned by the door instead of entering the room. It wasn't a very big room, and that was probably why. Carlisle and Bella both sat on the end of the bed.

"Lady Lokisana is a Malkavian, and so-" Mogui was cut off by Livi, "Explained most of that already. I didn't know they had a telepath among them, or, I would have covered the whole Cobweb thing, too…" She was obviously not too happy with herself.

"Cobweb…?" Jasper spoke up.

"That's what the Malkavians call it, the technical name being the Malkavian Madness Network. What it is to the rest of us is a whole lot of voices. They can hear every Malkavian that currently lives, and any Malkavian that has lived in the past. All at once, of course."

"That's why he said his head hurt…" Bella said, looking up to Livi who nodded, "When you asked him what was wrong? Probably. That's a whole lot of noise for one telepath to have to deal with."

"The only reason they can deal with it is because they're crazy already, right?" Esmé suggested.

"We figure so, yeah."

Carlisle seemed at ease with this, despite what had happened, "So once he has had time to clear the noise from his mind he should be well."

Mogui looked at his watch, and then at Bella, "In the meantime, you're likely hungry. We've got some real food around here somewhere, I'm sure." She nodded and he smiled, "We can find you something to eat, and then you can come back in here and hover over him until he wakes up and tells you to calm down, since I don't think you'll listen to any of us."

((A/N: So...yeah...Malkavians + Edward = Bad stuff. The poor guy, only chapter three and he's already unconcious! Don't worry, bad things happen to other people later, instead! So, now...just something to think about later...What would Aro + Malkavians = ??? Just something to keep in mind! :) ))


	4. Guest Accomodations

Bella followed Mogui through the maze of halls trying to pay attention to the turns he took and still get a good look around. It wasn't working too great, to be honest.

"That's one of Livi's." Mogui said, noticing her distraction with one particular painting of a very large butterfly.

"Really?" Bella said, obviously impressed. As any artist undoubtedly could, Livi saw a million errors whenever she looked at her own work, but she would have undoubtedly been flattered if she had heard the tone of Bella's voice.

"She does some really good stuff." Mogui continued, "I like most of it, but that might be because I'm not an artist myself. Tried for maybe a century on and off, and I'm still with stick people."

Bella looked over incredulously, and when she realized that he wasn't joking, she laughed. "And don't worry, you'll get used to the halls soon enough. Most of this house isn't even used, so, that's a whole lot less for you to have to worry about learning." It was only one more turn from there to the kitchen, a left. Bella committed it to memory.

It wasn't all that large, and was pretty nondescript as far as kitchens go. Ceramic tiles that were cold to Bella's sock feet, a fridge, sink and an oven, plus a table and a few chairs. That was all. At the sink, though, was someone Bella recognized. Tempo, her collar open and with a long strip of bandage wrapped around her neck, was washing what was very obviously blood off of her hands.

"Hello, my lord." She nodded to Mogui before nodding to Bella as well, "Hello, young Lady." Turning off the tap, Tempo grabbed a towel from where it hung on a hook above the sink. She leaned back against the counter, and it was then that Bella could see the bandages clearly in the opening of the bloodstained shirt. She could also see scars through the gap, more of them covering Tempo's hands.

"Getting something to eat?" She asked, drying her hands. The woman spoke in the same hollow voice, and never once looked to Mogui or Bella. Nodding, Bella replied, "Yeah…I'm starved…" The latter part was added after a hesitation. It was hard talking to someone when they were speaking formally. How would you say 'starved' formally, anyways?!

"I'll bet, you had quite the ride here, not too mention god knows what happened before that." Mogui said, and nudged Bella towards the fridge. "Take a look, and help yourself to anything. Not like we need it." He laughed, and hopped up to sit in the counter next to the sink.

"I think we are out of a few things, however." Tempo said, "Orange juice I know that we lack, for sure. Her highness, Ember, was the unfortunate recipient of that…"

"Haha, Ember, I remember that!" From the door, laughter rang out, and two more people entered. The one who was laughing was a young man with short, light brown hair that was carelessly messy. He had a wide grin and strolled confidently into the kitchen, keeping just out of reach of the young woman behind him. Her hair was a dark auburn and she was around Livicat's height, though the young man was a little taller. She was scowling at his comment, but there was still something strikingly beautiful about them both. Bella could see it in the cockiness of his grin and the delicateness of her hands as she pointed at him accusingly.

"That's not funny, BK. You almost ruined my favorite dress!"

There was something strange about them, though, despite the beauty. It would take Bella a while to figure it out, but she later did. They were _young_. Not by age, maybe, but their mannerisms. They were younger than her, even.

"Cut it out, guys." Mogui said, warningly, "You know what your mom said."

"Prince Buzzkill, Princess Ember, we have a guest. It is rude to argue." Tempo gestured to Bella. "This is Lady Isabella Swan. She is here with the Cullens."

"The boy who mom knocked out!" The two said simultaneously, laughing.

"It's nice to meet you." The boy, BK, said. Ember chipped in soon after.

"Yeah, our mom's really sorry about that, by the way. We heard her talking to

Rumil about it."

"Eavesdroppers." Mogui said. Bella giggled, "Are you two always in trouble?" She asked.

"Depends on who you ask."

"Livi says we're lots of trouble."

"But, mostly to each other."

"Yeah!"

When they spoke, their words seemed to almost bounce back and forth between them. The illusion was still there even when Bella wasn't looking, as she was still trying to find something to eat. She settled for making a chicken sandwich with the stuff she found laying around.

"Did you go talk to Livi after I told you to, earlier?" Mogui asked the pair. Both of them shook their heads and mumbled some sort of excuse.

"You probably should. Princess Livicat is strict on you two, but you know it is because she worries." Tempo pushed herself upright from the counter, " She said it was about something important. Your uncle said he would be coming sometime tonight."

Bella was just putting away the bread and had a good view of the vampires' reactions. They were ecstatic.

"Uncle DJ?!"

"Did he say if he was bringing word from father?!"

Tempo shook her head, "I do not know. However, your sister will." In a heartbeat, the two were gone again.

"Little balls of energy." Bella noted, taking a bite of her sandwich. It wasn't bad for what she had to work with. "They're Toreador as well, then, right?"

"Oh, you're getting the hang of it, dear Lady." Tempo said and smiled vacantly.

"That all you need then, Bella?" Mogui asked, hopping off the counter. Picking up the glass of milk she had poured, Bella nodded, "Yes. I'm all set."

The way back to the room beside the library was a little less confusing, though both Bella and Mogui were surprised to see only Esmé waiting with Edward. Jasper and Alice had gone for a tour with Livi, and to help pick rooms for everyone. Carlisle had gone to speak with , Mogui left Bella to eat and talk to Esmé, as politely as he could. He wanted to go and wait for his wife, or see if she had already come home.

~*~

Livi, Alice and Jasper were just coming down the staircase to the entranceway. Alice had made the job of giving what room to what person very easy. It seemed she had a flair for that sort of thing. However, it was Jasper that saw the turn of events that was coming; he felt the man before he saw him at the bottom of the stairs. Though he hid it well, Jasper could feel the fury that was boiling inside him.

The man nodded to Jasper and Alice, before addressing Livi, "Lady Livicat, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Relaxed as always, she nodded, "Yeah, sure. Alice, Jasper, you guys might as well tell everyone else that they've got places to store there stuff." Livi grinned, "No reason for us to have to move it all."

And they did go. Or, at least, they went a bit. Jasper tugged Alice to a stop once the door between them and Livi closed.

"We should wait." Jasper said, and Alice nodded. They could still hear the two through the door. If that man hadn't been so mad, or if Livi had bothered to try, they could have probably heard or felt the two of them, but they were both too distracted for the moment, it seemed.

"Lokisana was wrong for letting them stay here." Right in to the problem, then. He didn't bother even trying to cover up whom he was referring to.

"Oh? And why might that be?" Livi's answer was heavily laced with sarcasm, "They're good people. They deserve protection as much as anyone else."

"They have people to protect them!" Now Jasper could hear the anger he felt inside the man coming out in his voice. "Do you have the faintest idea what their politics are like? Those Volturi that watch over them are not lenient, Livi, not by a long shot. Do you think they'll be happy with them running to us, an entirely separate species, for protection?"

"We are the same species. We are vampires. Even if they weren't, Toreador does not close its door to anyone who comes genuinely looking for shelter, and that means anyone."

Her response was firm, even in spite of his anger. Still, he was incredulous. "You agree with her, then? They will decimate this place, Livi, and all of us with it."

"You give them too much credit. Just because you are weak and too proud to ask for help does not mean that we all are." She scoffed. "Toreador has not kneeled before the strength of Brujah or the manipulations of Hellsing. We will not fall now."

Typical of someone very angry, he brushed away her disagreement and the insult along with it, intent to continue his argument. "And what of Prince Ash? I can't possibly imagine him being content to sit back and watch as we start a war on behalf of people we have no reason to be loyal to!"

"Ash knows what Toreador does, he always has. He just doesn't care. When he has Buds and Hellsing to deal with, not to mention their leaders, who can blame him? I think you're blowing this way out of proportion, DJ."

"I don't think I am! Is it really so much of a problem for you that I have the well-being of this coven so close to my heart? Your father-"

Livi did not often raise her voice, and she didn't do it now by much, but even that little bit meant trouble, "My father is not here, and when he abandoned his home and his family he gave control to my mother. That means we follow _her_. I love my father dearly, DJ, so don't even try to bring him in to this."

"With him having retaken his old position as one of Alucard's generals there's a good chance he's going to get involved eventually. Not to mention, with your mother acting the way she does-"

"I stand by what I've said: My mom was right to bring them here, I doubt it's going to start anything larger than a schoolyard conflict if it does start anything at all, _and_ you're being ridiculous." Her voice hardened, signaling the end of the conversation.

"If you still have a problem with it, Ambassador, I suggest you talk to Lady Lokisana. As staff here, I have more important things to worry about."

The ambassador, DJ, was silent and Livi stalked out of the room, throwing the door open that Alice and Jasper had been listening at. They had thankfully moved, though they hadn't left. Her arm still outstretched from the action, she froze when she saw them and let the door close behind her of its own accord.

With a sigh her arm dropped back to her side. "I am sorry you had to hear all of that." She said, her eyes downcast. No sooner than the words were out of her mouth than she felt something inexplicable: calm. It was like a cool wind, unwinding her tension.

She smiled knowingly, "Okay, which one of you is that?" She didn't know how it happened exactly, but Mogui had tried to explain it to her. They got their gifts separately, which was weird. Neat, but weird. It also came with the risk that they would get nothing. At least she, if she sired, her childe was guaranteed a few specialties.

Alice laughed, but it was Jasper who raised his hand, "That'd be me."

Livi closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, before also breaking in to laugher. "That does feel much better. He gets under my skin, that guy…" She pulled a face.

"I can see why." Alice nodded sympathetically despite the smile on her face.

"Still, don't take anything you heard to heart. He's the type who is constantly finding something terribly, morally, wrong with what my mother does…and yet, he refuses to leave."


	5. Finishing Touches

Bella could barely keep her eyes open to finish her sandwich. She was too hungry to leave it, however, so she slowly worked away at it until there was nothing but crumbs left. Esmé tugged the plate out of her hands and set it aside.

"Time for you to get some sleep." The woman said softly, and Bella nodded, crawling on to the bed beside Edward, who hadn't yet moved. She didn't even bother pulling back the blankets, though it was little surprise; the house was warm. The young woman was asleep in minutes.

Esmé was just about to get up when Tempo entered. The bandages were still visible on her neck, but her shirt was no longer white and bloodstained. Now it was clean, and a deep navy in colour.

"Hello, my lady." She said quietly, smiling "Is there anything I can get you?" She asked, picking up Bella's plate and glass. Esmé shook her head, "No, thank you. Do you know where Alice and Jasper have gone? They said that they were going to come back and keep me company." The comment was lighthearted, and accompanied by one of the woman's charming smiles. Apparently Tempo could see it even without looking at Esmé (as she never seemed to look at anyone, really), as she smiled back, if in her own faint way.

"And they left you here, have they?" Tempo said, "How rude. Well, when I saw them last Lady Alice and Lord Jasper were moving everyone's affects to the second floor, to the rooms that Lady Alice picked out. They are likely still at it, as it was only a moment ago." She concluded with a nod.

"Well, that is nice of them, but I suppose I should help." Esmé said, standing up.

Tempo shifted the two dishes to one hand, and gestured at the sleeping young woman with the other hand. "Should I take Lady Isabella to her room?"

Esmé's gaze at the two on the bed could only be described as adoring. She did think of them both as her children, after all. "No, I am sure Edward will want to se her when he wakes up."

Tempo nodded, "As you wish, Lady Esmé." She said quietly. With that, the advisor left to return the dishes to the kitchen. She would clean them after getting at least a blanket for the young human.

~*~

A few things ended up getting established that night, as the hours of darkness were slowly lightening to day and Lokisana met again with a two of her newest guests, namely Carlisle and Esmé. So far, the conversation was without incident, Lokisana appearing to be calm and content. Those of her kind did sleep during the hours of light…mostly. Sometimes, as Livi confessed to be planning to do, they fought the urge to sleep and stayed awake, though it wasn't easy.

"Ash sent me some stuff to do." She said with a shrug, "E-mailed it. Said it was urgent and all that, so I told him I'd get to it tonight, but I'm not taking any emergencies tomorrow, I have to set some things up for Wednesday night." Livi was one of the few on a first-name basis with the Ventrue Prince.

They also discussed the rather vital issue of how their guests were going to eat. A thoughtful host as always, Lokisana had a solution ready.

"You are protected as long as you remain on our land." She said with a knowing smile, "Day or night. So, anywhere in our forest you are welcome to go and hunt to your heart's content…Of course, had your tastes been different, things would be more complicated, what with you having to go out of our boundaries and into town and whatnot with us, but as that is not the case it should be easy for you to find sustenance."

It was Esmé who asked the question that Lokisana's response had raised in her and her husband, "Do all of you feed on humans, then?"

The coven leader shrugged nonchalantly. "I do what I will, others do what they will. More often than not it is a matter of ease, you know, convenience…" She hesitated, "Is it true, then, that when you feed off of a human, you must either kill them or turn them…?" Even Lokisana was not entirely sure about them, it seemed.

Both vampires nodded, neither looking too happy about it. Lokisana cringed, "Ah, yes, I can see the appeal 'vegetarianism' would hold for you, then."

"Do you not have to?" Carlisle asked quietly, "You are able to feed on humans without turning them or killing them?"

Lokisana nodded, "Certainly. Its one of the reasons that they are allowed here at all...Mind you, if they come here, they already know about us and likely have for a while before. Most are destined to be turned eventually, but for whatever reason, they are not ready yet."

"Are they the daytime protection you spoke of?" Esmé asked.

"Nah, they're useful, but not _that_ useful." Steve answered from where he rested, sitting on the back of a chair. Livi hit him on the arm, "Don't be a jerk." She said.

"Anyways, I have to get to work. God forbid Ash has to wait one more night for his report…" When the door was safely closed upon her exit, Steve spoke again. "She does know that he's totally taking advantage of her, yeah?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yes, I suppose she does." Lokisana answered Steve mildly, "But that does remind me…." She looked back to the pair of Cullens, smiling, "On Wednesday night we're having a bit of a party here. If you're comfortable with it, you're all welcome to join us." Mogui had not underestimated Lokisana's way with people. Despite her earlier episode, she was now speaking with an easy, gentle calm, and her informality was reassuring.

"I'm sure Alice will want to go, which means she'll likely make Bella go..." Esmé said, and she didn't need to continue to be understood. Alice and Bella would then be dragging along their significant others, which would leave Carlisle and Esmé very little reason to not attend themselves. It was some sort of ridiculous chain, and, like most ridiculous chains, it started with Alice.

But it was creeping in to later hours of the morning, and Lokisana soon retired to bed, along with most of her fellows. The Cullens had lain their trust in her to keep them safe, day or night. They would just have to see how wise of a choice it was.


	6. Livi and Alice

"Alice~!" Larka sang out as she looked through the house. They didn't have an Alice of their own, so it was pretty obvious who she was looking for. "Alice~! Alice~!" She was searching for the Cullen lady, just like Livi had told her too. As far as Larka was aware, the Head of Music was off trying to con her husband into attending the party. Ash wasn't much of a party fellow, but she was pretty sure he'd give in to Livi's desires. Basically everyone did.

She found Alice and Esmé in the library. Esmé seemed more than content to spend a great deal of time there, and Larka didn't blame her one little bit. It was her own favourite place to spend time, made even better if it was with Mogui.

"Hello~" The Tremere said to the both of them, smiling. Larka was by far more casual and lighthearted than most of those who shared her bloodline. It seemed to be strangely natural, as she was like that even before she came to Toreador. Spending enough time in Toreador's walls was almost guaranteed to change one's ways a little bit, if not for the inhabitants passion, than for their occasional ridiculousness. Larka came to them already fairly estranged from her fellow Tremere (all of whom are decidedly more serious). She did not mind, and they seemed to be glad to have her out of their hair.

"Hey." Alice greeted, smiling, "What's up, Larka?"

"Well…" Larka rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as she spoke, "Livi has started setting up for that little party Loki told you about?" When they nodded in recognition, she continued, "Now, Carlisle told Livi that you, Alice, have a little bit of a flare for this whole decorating, thing…?".

Alice looked ecstatic, "Well, I'd like to think so…"

Larka stopped her rocking and looked to Esmé politely, "Would you mind if Livi were to borrow her for a short while?" Esmé, of course, shook her head, "Please do." She said with a smile to Alice. Emsé was actually happy that Larka had come to get Alice. She had been a little worried that there would be nothing for them to do in the sanctuary, but it seemed that Lokisana had at least some things planned. Esmé had previously had doubts about the coven leader, but the woman's calm mannerisms and obviously caring nature was working to dispel them.

"Why thank you, I think I will." Larka's smile was cheeky as she and the sprite-like vampire made an excited exit. Alice _was_ excited, as she always was about these things. The idea of working with Livi probably helped, too. From what Alice had seen, Livi had a great sense of style.

Larka lead Alice to the garden that was out behind the large house. Alice had seen it a few times when she had gone hunting, but she had never really bothered to go in. Most of the time she just wanted to get hunting over with and get back to where there were better things to do. She was certainly shocked when she saw it.

Toreador's love of displaying their wealth was not restricted to things they kept in their houses. Lovers of beauty as they were, impressive gardens were just as important to them. Despite not being a Toreador herself, Lokisana kept her husband's gardens in pristine condition for her beloved children.

The walls surrounding the area were blanketed lovingly in dark green creeping ivy, and the trellises over the entryways were adorned with another climbing plant, with wide, dark leaves and fancy red and white flowers. The wall was a dark grey brick, as were the smoothly patterned stones that made up the artfully designed paths and main sitting area. There were chairs and tables spread about on their own little islands of stone, swirling paths winding between them, tying them together and to the central area. The chairs and tables seemed to be made out of something like wrought iron. The plain black cushions on the chairs were spotlessly clean, as were the glass tabletops.

In the center of a large paved area, Alice could see a towering arrangement of rich green growth. Large flowers peeked out from their dark hiding spots to spy on whoever may pass, while the smaller flowers seemed to float on a billowing sea of leaves and vines. The area cleared by the stones stopped after a modest stretch of grass and more various types of greenery claimed the rest for a more secluded quarter.

Alice was surprised to see not only Livi, but one of her younger siblings as well, a young man with light brown hair. She had heard of both of her siblings, but hadn't had a chance to meet them yet. The older Toreador was working with a trellis of flowers, some sort of leafy vine with dark purple blooms, winding them so that they were more pleasing to the eye.

"I brought you a Cullen." Larka said, leaning easily beside the trellis that occupied her technical superior.

"So I see." Livi replied, and pulled her eyes away from the delicate blooms to smile at Alice. "Let me see what I can get you doing…"

"I've got to run off." Larka said, nodding back towards the house, "But before I do, where's Ember? I can't remember ever seeing BK without her…" Larka looked a little concerned.

Livi grinned, "They won't be apart for long. Kindra took Ember inside to find some people to start up a game. BK didn't want to play today." She shrugged. Like Larka, Alice was just leaning on the wall, listening.

"Good, I was a little worried. Now, a certain blood mage will be quite unhappy with me if I keep him waiting any longer…" And, giving no more hints to her meaning, Larka winked and ran off.

~*~

"So, who's coming to this thing, anyways?" Alice asked, curiously. Livi shrugged. She had moved on to a different set of flowers, and Alice was setting up lanterns. They weren't her favourite, but Alice did have to admit that they weren't bad.

"Anyone who wants to, really. I think I know a few people for sure…Lupus, my uncle…My mom's ex-wife, Audra, my daughter Vendy…" She laughed, "I finally convinced my husband, Ash, to come as well. He owed it to me."

"Wait a minute." Alice looked up from her work, "Your daughter? I didn't know you had a daughter!"

Livi nodded with a proud grin, "Yes, that would be Vendy, indeed. She is Ash's and my daughter. I can't wait for you to meet her, I'm sure you'll get along so well."

"But, she doesn't live here?" Alice was more curious now. Being precognizant was helpful, but at times like this she'd gladly switch it with her brother's telepathy. It wasn't like Livi wasn't going to answer her; she just wasn't answering her fast enough!

"Isn't it hard?" Alice asked.

Livi shook her head, "No. Right now Ash and her are both in the Dead City, where most of us are from, but as for it being hard, well…" She trailed off thoughtfully, "Not really. I'm pretty capable on my own, and I talk to them frequently." She laughed, "Perhaps, if they were around too much, I would miss my freedom. As it stands, I think love should add to your life, not take away from it. It just seems so…counterproductive."

Alice nodded, thinking. She'd miss Jasper terribly if she was in a similar situation, but Livi did have a point.

((A/N: Okay, you're tolerating the name thing really well. Don't worry, there IS a reason why they're so...weird. Well, except Tempo and Lokisana. They're just crazy. Mind you, everyone ELSE has a reason, yes. Sometime soon, I promise, I'll explain it!))


	7. The Europeans Call it Football

Bella was just about to open one of the kitchen cupboards to get a glass when she saw something small and dark race by her feet. Startled, she cried out and stumbled, almost stepping on it. It was Edward who prevented her falling.

A rat. Gross.

Both of them watched the small, hairy creature lose grip on the floor and careen into a wall. On contact, it ceased to be both small and hairy. Taking its place was instead a young woman. Curvy and with brown, curly hair, her skin was pale and freckled. She sat against the wall wide-eyed and slightly out of breath.

"Woah, girl, you almost crushed me flat!" She breathed, looking up to the two of them before breaking into a grin, "Looks like I scared you, too. Sorry about that." She laughed and picked herself up off the floor. In a pair of ripped jeans and a well-worn t-shirt, she didn't much look like a Toreador. But, her careless demeanor (in combination with the more obvious shape shifting) gave her away.

"It's okay." Bella said with a smile. Protective as always, Edward was at first unsure, but it was easy enough to tell that the girl hadn't meant any harm.

"I'm Kindra." She held out one hand to each of them, grinning, "My mom told me who you two are! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just in a hurry, that's all. Ember went to go get the ball, and she is in a hurry since she's in here, and BK is outside…" Kindra shrugged, " I was supposed to find my uncle Steve, but I can't find him anywhere." Like Livi, she radiated self-assured cheerfulness and friendliness, and neither of the kitchens other occupants had a problem shaking her hand.

She snapped her fingers, suddenly, struck by an idea, "Do you guys want to play?"

Edward was a little interested, and Bella was curious, but it was Bella who spoke up, "Play what?"

Kindra grinned, "Soccer. Dimitri made us a ball and everything, since the normal ones didn't last too long."

As if on cue, Steve popped his head into the kitchen, "Sorry to break it to you, kid, they're baseball players, not soccer players." He laughed, and turned his attention to Edward amongst Kindra's protest of "I'm not a kid!"

"Nice to see you up, man. I heard about what happened. It's good to see you back on your feet."

Edward smiled wryly, "Thank you. Now, what was that about a game of soccer?" With the headache gone, Edward felt the need to be outside, to be doing something. For a creature that did not sleep, he had been lying down and unconscious for way too long. It had been extremely uncomfortable.

Steve knew where Edward was headed, and smiled knowingly, "Well, Ember, Kindra and I were going to go and press-gang BK into joining a game…But if you think you're up for it…" His smile widened to a grin. Bella just knew that this was going to be interesting. She had seen vampire baseball, and that was a sight to behold. Vampire soccer? Was it even possible? She got a glass and poured herself a glass of water, which was the reason they had even been in the kitchen in the first place.

Edward shrugged, "I might be. But, I also might know a couple of other people who would like to join in."

Steve's grin went from knowing to downright challenging. Kindra was looking delighted. "Get whoever you want, the more the merrier."

~*~

Surprisingly, it was Ember bouncing the reinforced soccer ball off of her knees and head as she stood, impatiently waiting. They were deciding teams, and she didn't care. She only wanted to be goalie so the rest did not matter to her. Mind you, the others though it was pretty amusing that little Ember Wolfsblood in her shiny dress shoes, silk pleats and lace wanted to play at all, let alone be goalie, but the Toreador persisted.

"So, you, me and Ember?" Ember didn't even look away from the ball when Kindra mentioned her and gestured to Jasper. Tempo had asked Dimitri to make them a better once since they kept breaking the normal ones. They weren't expensive, but it was a little bit tedious. Plus, people always gave her and BK funny looks when they bought them at night!

"That leaves us three." Steve was grinning, eager for the competition, and while both Edward and Carlisle seemed a little more reserved, they were eager for the game as well.

"I'm goalie." Ember said, for the hundredth time. Jasper answered her with a nonchalant, "No, really?" She had so much been expecting Steve to freak out on her that Jasper's calm reaction stunned her in to dropping the ball. Steve, however, did laugh uproariously, before also announcing himself goalie.

They had managed to round up a few people who wanted to watch. Bella, of course, who had no desire to get in the middle of such a ridiculous idea, but she was very interested in seeing how it worked. Esme was with her, and Alice, BK and Livi, who had decided to take a break to watch. BK had plopped down in the grass, leaning on his older 'sister's knees, but the others stood to watch.

It was Jasper and Edward who met in the middle, and while Alice loved her husband dearly she did have to admit that her brother was awfully quick…it helps that she knew what was going to happen, though. Edward did manage to get the ball away, at least at first. It was only the start of a long list of thefts and failed goals, but it looked like they were all having fun. Steve, despite his brash nature, turned out to be a better goalie than most would have thought.

By far the largest surprise came from Carlisle. It wasn't his sons who posed the biggest challenge on the field. By far, he was the most adept at the sport from his family and didn't hesitate to use it to his advantage. It was because of him that his team was leading by one point, even with several miraculous saves from Ember. Edward was helping, mind you, but his forte was obviously baseball.

From her position of defense/impromptu forward (really, Jasper had most of it covered), Kindra could see the spectators. Livi was looking a little edgy, though, and Kindra was pretty sure she knew why. Livi likely wanted to stay and watch the game, but she was also under pressure to get the decorations done. Unlike the Cullens, they didn't have all day to do what they wished!

All Kindra intended to do was to tie up the game at 1:1. Steve would never let her live it down if she didn't manage at least that much. On top of that, she wanted to make her aunt Livi proud in front of their guests. Kindra didn't much know (or care) why that was important, but she assumed it must be a Toreador thing.

Edward knew the shot was coming, even if it didn't look like Kindra was lining it up to go anywhere near him. He could probably stop it…but it was likely not a good idea. He'd seen Kindra take a shot like that once already, and it was something he had no desire to be in the way of. So, when he saw the sure, powerful stroke that sent the ball rocketing in his direction he simply moved out of the way, trusting Steve to handle it. He was a Gangrel after all, right? He should be used to Kindra's animalistic power.

Edward knew at once when he heard a rather sickening _crack_ that his prediction hadn't been the case. Kindra shuddered, grimacing, and he immediately heard cursing behind him. A long, colourful litany that even made Jasper raise his eyebrows, and they all sounded just a little bit off…

"My nose! My goddamned nose!" There was another crack as Steve reset the bone. He didn't have to, really, he could have left it and it would have healed on it's own, but it'd heal much faster in the right place!

Edward did all he could to hold down laughter. Steve didn't seem seriously hurt, as he had some blood on him but (if his use of language was any indication) he was fine. Kindra, on the other hand, seemed to have composed herself and was unable to hold her own gales of laughter in. Steve wiped the blood from his mouth and glowered at his niece, though no one seemed to be taking him too seriously.

"Who asked Dimitri to make that fuckin' ball?" His voice sounded a little more normal now.

Kindra calmed down enough to answer, though she was still grinning, "My mom did." She answered absently. Of course, this prompted Steve to impatiently ask her, "_Which _mom?!"

"Oh, Mom Tempo." Kindra replied, laughing again, "Who else would go talk to Dimitri, about _anything?"_

"Point taken…" Steve stalked off, apparently ending the game. No one seemed to bothered, though. Either they had gotten their fill and were content, or his outburst had been a little too comic to ruin the fun. Still, it left Jasper questioning something. "Tempo's your mother?" He asked Kindra, taking a brief look to the rest of his family to see if he was the only one out of the loop. Judging from the expressions it seemed most of them had been thinking the same thing, Edward especially.

"Yup. Tempo and Larka are my parents." Kindra replied brightly, jogging over to get the ball. It had indeed gone between the trees they had chosen, making the score even. No one remarked on it though, as something Edward, this time, asked a question instead, "That seems a little…unusual. Larka is a Tremere, isn't she? And Tempo doesn't seem quite the 'mothering' type…" He added with a smile. Only then it clicked to him that Livi wasn't the same bloodline as her mother, either…

"All families are technically by adoption, some by siring, some by people just deciding that they want to be related, and thus taking the responsibility that comes with it." Livi explained with a shrug. She should know. The Wolfsblood family was a ridiculously large, sprawling, and extremely complicated mass.

"As for Tempo, she's faking it." Kindra answered simply, the ball in her hands. "She does it for Loki, to seem more professional, I think…" She sidestepped slightly to get out of the way of BK and Ember, who had already started antagonizing each other on the ground, "She breaks it for me, though!"


End file.
